


walking the tightrope

by zumukaki



Category: Haikyuu!!, ハイキュー!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Aobajousai, Boyfriends, Canon - Anime, Falling In Love, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gay, Light Angst, Love, Love Confessions, M/M, Manga & Anime, Minor Canonical Character(s), Minor Character(s), Minor Violence, Romantic Fluff, Romantic Soulmates, Soulmates, Volleyball, he gives good advice bro, iwaizumi is a good upperclassman, kyoutani is mute, oikawa is just there tbh, they meet in their first year, they're dumb gays and we love them, yahaba is an idiot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-10
Updated: 2019-10-10
Packaged: 2020-12-12 04:08:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20974277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zumukaki/pseuds/zumukaki
Summary: soulmate au:the first words your soulmate say to you are written somewhere on your body. kyoutani is mute, and yahaba believes he's never had a soulmate.





	walking the tightrope

**Author's Note:**

> this is a commission written for @/milkyraegalaxy on twitter <3  
if you would like a commission yourself, hit me up on twitter and we can talk, @/ogamism :D

At the ages of 3 and 4, both Shigeru Yahaba and Kentarō Kyōtani discovered soulmates, and what it meant to have one. 

As the age-old tale goes, one would have a marking on their wrist that would help them find their soulmate sometime in their life. The marking would be the first words your soulmate will ever say to you, and things would play out perfectly from there. 

At least, that’s how it’s supposed to happen.

At the age of 8, Yahaba came to the conclusion that he just didn’t have a soulmate. His parents had constantly reassured him in the years before that his soulmate probably hadn’t been born yet, or that they would meet when they were much older, or maybe it was because the markings were somehow later than usual. He believed them, for a time, but eventually, he was the only child left without a mark. 

It never occurred to him that his soulmate was lacking the ability to physically speak. 

At the age of 9, Kyōtani’s marking had been fully developed, however, he never knew how to interpret the words that were scrawled across his left forearm, _“Wait, he’s not deaf is he? Are you deaf?”_

It was already a question he received too much from other kids, and he despised it the more people asked. He can hear, he can walk, he can run, and play, and move as much as anyone else; he was just born without vocal cords. But who said that would stop him?

In middle school, Kyōtani ignored the words on his arm after he realized there wouldn’t be anyone in his lifetime to fully understand his condition besides his parents, not even his own soulmate. And, while that did pain him, he forced himself to accept that this was how his life was meant to be despite how angry it made him sometimes. He also gave up hunting down his soulmate to finally hear the tone of their voice when they said those dreadful words. Soon enough he was able to take out his anger and frustration through volleyball, as much as it scared everyone, it helped. 

Around the same time, Yahaba had made it set in stone he was never meant to have a soulmate, to begin with. Whether they hadn’t been born at the right time, if they passed away, or anything in between, they weren’t there and they never would be. For a while he was left drifting around, unsure of what to do as it began to be something that caused a deep emptiness within him. Sometimes it almost felt agonizing to think about, not having a soulmate. He would convince people he had minor crushes on to break the rules, to have that certain thrill to go against what they were told was the truth to be together, and it worked on a few people. And yet, it brought none of the fulfillment or satisfaction he was expecting, only more unhappiness. During his last year in middle school was when he finally came to terms with being alone. He’d been hoping for high school but when he realized many of the same students would be there as well, he felt the last ignition of hope burn out. 

It’s their first year of high school when the boys first meet, and there’s something that’s alluring about the other to each of them. They don’t necessarily understand why, but it feels natural for them to be looking at each other as if no one else had been there. It felt… comforting, and warm for them, in such a way that both overwhelmed and settled them at once, which had been a feeling neither of them recognized at the time.

Kyōtani was the first to look away from the brown-haired boy, and he remembered thinking to himself, _“There’s no way it’s him.”_

Yahaba, on the other hand, had already joined the volleyball club within the first few weeks and was helping his senior, Oikawa, look for new recruits. After such prolonged eye contact, he found it to be enough of a reason to walk over, and tap his shoulder. When Kyō turned around, he nodded in acknowledgment then turned back as he clearly was interested in someone else. Yahaba was about to speak up, however, he halted when he realized the person he’d been speaking with previously was using sign language and the brunette glanced towards Oikawa in confusion. 

_“Wait, he’s not deaf is he?”_ He leaned over to catch Kyōtani’s attention, making sure he saw his lips. _“Are you deaf?”_

Silence fell over the small group for a moment as Kyō stared at Yahaba with an expression he could only describe as a mix of confusion, guilt, pain, and ultimately, anger. For a moment, he thought he was in the clear until Kyōtani erupted in a horribly dark blush and grabbed roughly Yahaba by the collar. His hands had been shaking, and his eyes looked glassy as if he were about to cry. Yahaba yelped when he was suddenly slammed against the wall. 

Kyōtani had lifted him a few inches from the floor as he held him there, and Yahaba didn’t understand how he struck a nerve so easily. He understood it was safe to say he wasn’t deaf, but he didn’t think it was justified to be pinned against the wall like this. 

_“I-I’m sorry, I’m sorry! It was an honest mistake!”_ He sputtered with a slight grip on the wrists of the other. He felt him shaking even more under his fingertips.

_“Kentarō put him down before we all get in trouble!”_ Another young man had been desperately trying to pry him off but his grip was solid and his eyes were set aflame with emotion. Only when a teacher yelled at them from down the hall was the moment Yahaba was dropped back to his feet and the angry party stormed off, his friend practically dragging him along. Oikawa sent off someone else after them to clear up the situation, Iwaizumi. 

Later on that day, Kyōtani ditched the rest of his classes along with any of his friends to spend time alone in a place only he knew about, as far as he could tell. He climbed up the stairs and slipped onto the roof of the science and mathematics building with ease. It was rare for anyone else to come up to that spot and he knew how to get back in if the door happened to be locked behind him, so he knew he could let himself relax. Or so he thought. Not even five minutes alone, and someone managed to walk in behind him. He whipped his head around with the nastiest sneer he could muster. 

_“I’m just here to talk. I saw what happened earlier and I wanted to make sure you’re alright.”_ The newcomer spoke. It was another boy, but he was taller than Kyōtani, had a broader build, dark hair, and tan skin paired with it. But that wasn’t what bothered him.

Kyōtani was baffled, why him? He was the one that started this in the first place, so why would anyone want to make sure he was alright? Why not check on the other kid? His guard was forcibly lowered. 

Kyō slumped down to the floor against a nearby wall and nodded to the spot next to him. The other young man sat down to pull out a notebook and a pen so Kyōtani could write in it for him. 

_“You got some interesting strength there. What’s your name?”_

**“Kentarō Kyōtani.”**

_“It’s nice to meet you, Kyōtani-san. I’m Hajime Iwaizumi, I’m a second year. I’m assuming you’re a first-year since I haven’t seen you before.”_

Kyōtani nodded. 

_“Do you like it here so far?”_

He shrugged, then nodded again. 

_“Do you mind me asking why you can’t speak? Because you’re clearly not deaf.”_

Kyōtani glared at the pages of the notebook as he squeezed the pen in his hand, his grip threatening to break it. The flurry of emotions from before suddenly rushed back through him and he gritted his teeth with another blush beginning to bloom on his cheeks. 

**“I’m mute.”** He wrote. **“I was born without vocal cords.”**

_“It seems like a sensitive subject for you, but thank you for telling me. I won’t make you talk about it more than this.”_ Iwaizumi was speaking so calmly and carefully around him that it was completely surprising. Even more so when he reached over and ruffled Kyō’s hair, only intensifying his blush. 

_“Why’d you attack Yahaba-san like that though?”_

Kyōtani felt his heart jump into his throat. So that’s the name of his soulmate. He couldn’t bring himself to write out why and explain himself, so he simply rolled up his sleeve to shyly point to the marking on his arm. 

_“Oh.”_ Iwaizumi breathed. _“He’s your soulmate.”_ After a moment of silence, he began to laugh and Kyōtani flinched back in astonishment. Needless to say, that’s not the reaction he expected. 

Kyōtani swallowed dryly before aggressively shoving his shirt back into its original place, thoroughly flustered by the whole ordeal. He honestly just wanted the day to be done and over with so he could go back home to be alone. 

_“Why don’t you bring it up to him? Seems better than slamming him against the wall.”_ Iwaizumi tried to make light of the emotionally charged tension. 

There was a pause, a moment of silence, and Iwaizumi could see the gears turning in Kyōtani’s head. He came to the quick conclusion that there are either multiple reasons behind not telling Yahaba, or because he couldn’t handle his own emotions quite yet. Perhaps it was a little bit of both, but Iwaizumi wouldn’t know and understand completely until Kyōtani himself explained, if he was willing to that is. It wouldn’t take much for the older male to back off and bring up a different subject (that strength of his would be great on the team, for example). 

And then, he wrote. 

Iwaizumi felt the pain in his words. **“I can’t talk... I can barely communicate with this method, teachers get angry when I use my phone to text, and JSL has always been too difficult for others to completely learn. At most, my friends know small sentences.”** Kyōtani sighed, tilted his head back against the wall behind them, and stared at the sky. 

Another pause for silence. 

**“I’ve always felt like a burden, and I don’t want my soulmate to have to deal with this, with me. I feel bad enough already because he probably thinks he doesn’t even have a soulmate. And why I’m confiding in a stranger? I don’t know.”**

_“Your disability isn’t a burden, though. It can be difficult, and complicated at times, sure, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t people out there who are willing to look past it to help you and be close with you.”_ Iwaizumi placed a hand on Kyōtani’s shoulder as he spoke. _“I won’t tell anyone about this, but… I think it’d be good for you to join the team. You’ll meet a lot of great people there, and get the chance to be around Yahaba-san some more too.”_ He suggested, giving his shoulder a squeeze. 

Kyōtani stared down at their feet and pulled his knees to his chest. Slowly, he began to nod. There was something compelling and warm about Iwaizumi, almost like an older brother he never had, and with that simplicity, it was easy to put his trust in him. 

And that was that. 

Their first year passed within the blink of an eye and after a couple of weeks, much to Iwaizumi’s encouragement, Kyōtani made progress in getting closer to people, letting them in. It was slow, but it was progress nonetheless. Things were fine for a time, well, until Kyōtani decided to stop showing up for weeks on end. No one figured out why, and he never explained so that’s where they chose to leave it. Many factors contributed to his absence, but it was mostly because he couldn’t handle the sight of Yahaba talking about a new girl he liked every day, or how much he’d flirt in front of the team, or the way his eyes sparkled with the cute female managers. It hurt, and Kyōtani couldn’t take it anymore. That, he kept to himself and told Iwaizumi he only wanted to be stronger. 

Upon his return was one of, if not, the most important matches in everyone’s career as a volleyball team. 

Kyōtani wasn’t necessarily sure what had been happening that day, but nonetheless, he played with everything he had in him. He didn’t care who was watching, he didn’t care who was upset with him. Well… until Yahaba snapped at him. There had been another wave of emotions hitting him as if it were the very first time they met all over again. It changed something within him, and ever since that match, and that argument, Kyōtani had been contemplating on telling Yahaba the truth; they were soulmates, and the young man had a feeling they would end up together whether they were aware of it or not. Fate worked in mysterious and very frightening ways, he’s seen it for himself.

It would be better for him to admit it and explain it all out himself rather than someone telling Yahaba or, even worse, having him figure it out on his own. Kyōtani wasn’t sure just quite how he would react in that situation. He had a gut feeling Yahaba would be extremely upset for not telling him himself, and sooner. 

Months after the fated match, after their loss, and after everyone had time off from practice to recoup from it all, they were back on the court working harder than ever. Oikawa was running everyone ragged hours after their couch let him take over from even more intense training sessions. They played, practiced, and worked with and against numerous other schools to be an even better powerhouse than ever before. Kyōtani thought he would never get the chance to talk to Yahaba, especially after practice. It was actually quite easy for him to fall into the mindset that he was going to tell him they were soulmates, and he was going to do it soon. Well, at least that helped him make his decision. 

At first Kyōtani wanted to work it out on his own, but after a couple weeks of writing god awful “love” letters, typing out then deleting text messages, and trying to get Yahaba to at least hang out after practice (unfortunately both parties were always too tired), he finally knew he had to ask someone else for help or else he would never be able to get it out! The very idea flustered the poor boy to his core and he wasn’t sure no one else could help him besides Iwaizumi. He was the only person who understood the situation in depth at the level he does. 

Another week of building up his courage and Kyōtani was finally able to text Iwaizumi for help. 

Another week of planning with Iwaizumi, Kyōtani, Oikawa, and even a few other members of the team, it was decided that Kyōtani would confess to Yahaba that they were soulmates, unbothered by anyone else; that Yahaba was indeed never meant to be alone, that Kyōtani was so heartachingly guilty for something out of his control that he covered everything up, that he truly, deeply, and so genuinely wanted to be together with Yahaba, after all this time, that he would do anything to have a chance at a relationship with him. 

And so, it was settled. 

When the day came, Kyōtani felt as if everything was in a complete and utter haze. Well, everything besides the times when he saw Yahaba. They’ve spent so much time together that the feeling of his chest tightening and his heart racing out of absolute control felt completely natural at this point. All signs were pointing to, more than likely, being in love with the other boy which honestly only solidified his resolve even more. No matter how nervous he was, no matter how scared, or worried about the outcome, there was nothing that would change his mind about his plans. 

The last bell for classes rang, he drifted through practice, and suddenly it was time to spill all of his emotions. He spent weeks, damn near months preparing for this so why did he become inexplicably tongue-tied? What the hell was happening to him?

He reached out a shaky had to tap Yahaba’s shoulder, and once his attention was caught, Kyōtani nodded his head towards the back door of the gym, indicating he wanted to talk. 

_“Hm? What’s up?”_ Yahaba complacently walked behind Kyōtani outside for whatever he wanted to discuss. 

Kyōtani exploded with a deep crimson blush while tugging out a pen and notepad from his duffel bag. There was a long moment before he started writing, and another long moment before he managed to gain the courage to show it to Yahaba. 

**“Do you remember what you said to me the first day we met?”** It read. Yahaba’s eyebrows flew up in surprise. 

_“O-Oh I—“_ He cleared his throat awkwardly. _“If this is about me thinking you’re deaf, I’ve definitely learned from that day and I’m still really sorry about-“_ Kyōtani rushed forward to cover his mouth before he could continue, then shook his head. 

Yahaba removed his hand in shock. 

_“This… isn’t about that?”_ He questioned. Kyōtani shook his head again and swiftly pulled away. 

**”It’s sorta about that but..”** He couldn’t bring himself to keep writing as the blush spread from his cheeks to his nose, up to his ears, and down to his neck. **“What you said is. It’s… on my arm.”** After he finished writing he shoved the notepad into Yahaba’s hands. 

There was another moment of silence and Kyōtani could tell Yahaba had been rereading the words to comprehend their meaning. 

_“You… What? Are they really?”_ His voice was on the verge of breaking, Kyōtani flinched and revealed his forearm. Yahaba lurched forward to embrace Kyōtani as tightly as he could. The latter tensed in utter confusion and he wasn’t sure how to interpret just what the hell was happening. _“Thank god I have a soulmate.”_ Yahaba sweetly whispered. 

After that, Kyōtani melted in his arms, sliding them underneath Yahaba’s and securely fastening them together to hug back as tightly as he could. He felt a hand being placed on the back of his head, thin fingers running through his stubbly hair slowly as if to calm him down, and he buried his head into Yahaba’s shoulder. Kyōtani couldn’t have been more relieved. 

_“Please don’t think I’m mad at you, I couldn’t be happier that you finally told me.”_ Yahaba retracted to tenderly hold Kyōtani’s face with a loving look adorning his features. _“You must have felt so terrible over an idiot like me… I’m sorry, Kentarō. You don’t have to explain yourself, you don’t have to prove yourself to me either.”_ His left thumb moved slowly across his cheek. 

All Kyōtani could do was blush, blush, and blush even more. Yahaba had always seemed to have a certain soft spot for the guy who’d practically bite his head off and it never dawned on either of them why, but it was appreciated on both parts in the end. The blonde stared at Yahaba momentarily before simply nodding. He was happy that not only was he immediately accepted as his soulmate, but he was happy he didn’t have to give his entire lifelong story and explanation as to why he’s held such information back. It was… absolutely incredible. 

Kyōtani reached up to caress Yahaba’s cheek with his shaking fingertips and mouthed a question he thought he’d never have the courage to ask, _“Be my boyfriend?”_

Yahaba’s eyes glistened with love and affection and all the happiness he couldn’t even begin to describe. 

_“Of course, you dummy.”_

Kyōtani flashed him a genuine smile then nestled his head on his shoulder once more, reveling in his newfound love while Yahaba laughed gleefully and showered a rain of kisses on his boyfriend.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! hope you enjoyed it ;w;  
if you would like a commission yourself, hit me up on twitter and we can talk, @/dopplios :D


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